my new mantis shrimp

peasofme

Active member
it is motled off-white and a grayish color. it has 2 dark splotches on it's tail and one on either side near his upper body. it came from florida. it's entire body seems to be made up of these 2 colors. i haven't seen it's meral spots. i don't know what kind of mantis it is. but it is a smasher. it is 2" long. i plopped it into my tank and it took a few minutes to get used to the water. it checked out a frozen mysis but didn't eat it. it now spends it's time in it's home peering out of it like a mental patient. it got here about an hour ago. i would have taken more pics but it didn't like it.
 

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That coloration pattern is quite common in P.ciliata, but P.ciliata is a small spearing species...
 
It's probably a P.Ciliata, it looks very similar to mine. Here's a picture to compare, and check to see if it has the same pattern on its eyes.

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if a mantis stops moving it's pleopods to breath, is he 100% dead? sometimes when i put crabs or shrimp into the tank they completely 100% freeze for a day and the next day they are fine.

it was on it's back before i went to bed (half in his home) and this morning isn't moving at all, on it's side, with raptors extended (a little outside his home)
 
ok, i see him moving little parts of himself. much like when i first put a crab or shrimp in the tank. i guess he's not dead and either molting or adjusting to the water still.
 
Its probably pretty stressed out. From my experience mantis are very weak when it comes to shipping. I had a G ternatensis that refused to eat for a striaght week that I got off of liveaquaria (I ordered a peacock from them and they sent me a G. Ternatensis...) it starved to death.. I tried krill, ghost shrimp, guppies, mysis, nassarius, nerite snails nothing worked...

Also it can't break glass and it prefers fish and shrimp over hard snails and crabs since its a spearer.
 
Species of stomatopod vary considerably with how robust they are under shipping conditions. Case in point, last week I received two Neogonodactylus wennerae from Florida. They were delayed in delivery and were not opened for 6 days after packing. They arrived healthy and in perfect condition.

I doubt that stomatopods "starve to death" if offered appropriate food. Adult gonodactyloids can go for weeks without eating and some lysiosquilloids even longer. Stress can cause them not to eat and many species are picky and hard to get to switch prey, but eventually they will eat. That is not to say that animals that are injured or diseased won't eat and may die, but the primary cause of death is usually not starvation.

Roy
 
I have no clue was happened to my G.ternatensis then... I still got pics of it while I had it tho..
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Also do you guys think a N. wrennerae would live in a 7x7x7 (in inches) tank? It bows alittle and the top is actually 7.5x7.5 and the bottom is 7x7 and it stands 7 inchs tall.
 
some die, some live. it's just the luck of the draw.

I know but to refuse to eat like that... ghost shrimp walked ontop of it and I know darn well this is a more aggressive mantis as I had one before which hit the glass when I walk in the room...its puzzling...
 
if a mantis stops moving it's pleopods to breath, is he 100% dead? sometimes when i put crabs or shrimp into the tank they completely 100% freeze for a day and the next day they are fine.
I think he's ok. Maybe he's full mood or ready to peel his shell. Mine stop eating for couple days and then he turn back to normal.
 
I think he's ok. Maybe he's full mood or ready to peel his shell. Mine stop eating for couple days and then he turn back to normal.

Also if its eyes are moving fine then that's a good sign as the pleopods are more of an excitement thing like dogs wag their tails and so they are ready to dart at swimming prey. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZhlAYDvAeFk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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